Please Stop The Pope

Episode 27

First Temple

[A sacred ground has been declared centered around the holy relic . The system of acknowledges the miracle caused by the holy relic from in accordance with the relevant agreement.]

[As a sacred ground has been declared, some of the that had been cast over the area is resolved.]

[The holy relic exerts its power based on the faith of the believers. Currently, there are not enough believers in this dimension to fully draw out the power of the holy relic. Accordingly, the range of the sacred ground is limited.]

You can’t achieve everything in one go. The couldn’t cover the entirety of Ground Zero.

A range of roughly 500m in radius.

It was a size that paled in comparison to the mana-contaminated area, but for me, it was quite a satisfactory result.

It was more than enough area to build a temple.

Moreover, the possibility of expansion was open, so there was no reason to be dissatisfied.

“Whew.”

I took a deep breath and smiled.

The air that had felt somewhat stuffy due to the mana contamination became much more comfortable.

It was thanks to all the mana that had been contaminating this place disappearing as the sacred ground was formed.

Of course, that only applied to me.

“Hmm.”

Mr. Oh-seong and Ms. Hye-rim, who had been exclaiming with their mouths open until just now, had already lost consciousness and fainted.

In a way, it could be seen as a natural phenomenon.

The power of Limen contained in the holy relic is actually an overwhelming energy for those experiencing divine power for the first time.

The purest form of divine power that Limen had personally infused.

It was in the same context as when Min-soo fainted last time.

Still, what’s funny is that the faces of the two collapsed on the ground looked the most peaceful among all the expressions I had seen of them so far.

They had a hard time, being conscious of each other in front of me, watching my reactions.

I heard they had been confronting each other for quite a long time, so the current rest must have been something they had been waiting for.

“It’s a really sad land. I didn’t know there were such places on Earth. Right, Shi Yu?”

“Sorry. I originally wanted to build it in a prettier place, but it turned out like this.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that it feels like an unusually sad land.”

Limen, who had appeared before me at some point, said with a forced smile.

She was wearing a white tunic dress and a purple floral crown on her head.

Her appearance standing on the desolate ruins didn’t match this space at all, but it was extremely beautiful nonetheless.

I nodded while looking at her blue hair swaying slightly in the wind.

“It is a sad land.”

“I can vaguely see it.”

“See what?”

“The countless dreams buried here.”

Limen said that and frowned as if in pain. However, she soon smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and gently held my hand.

“But seeing you declare a sacred ground like this, it seems you received the gift I sent through that child Leo well.”

“You’re the only one in this world who calls Leo a child.”

“But to me, he is a child. You don’t know how cute Leo was when he was little, do you? You’d be surprised if you knew!”

“…I don’t particularly want to know.”

Leo’s childhood?

I couldn’t even dare to imagine it. No, I didn’t want to imagine it.

When I quickly shook my head, Limen squeezed my hand as if I was cute and said,

“I like Shi Yu more.”

Hearing those words made me feel embarrassed. I looked away slightly and changed the subject.

“By the way, what brings you here without notice? If you have something to say, you can give me an oracle like last time.”

At my words, Limen smiled brightly and answered,

“How can I just sit still when Your Holiness is working so hard! I came to give you a gift.”

“A gift?”

Is she trying to give me a holy relic?

However, my curiosity didn’t last long. Because Limen immediately revealed the identity of the ‘gift’.

Woong-!

It may be lacking to simply dismiss it as a ‘gift’.

Limen’s divine power descended upon the ruins that had already lost their color and began to paint the surroundings like paint.

Green trees and grass grow on the barren land.

A pond appeared in the places that had been cracked by mana, and flowers bloomed around the pond.

The ruins where no trace of life could be found were filled with life in the blink of an eye.

I couldn’t say a word as I watched Limen create another miracle.

This was the biggest reason I couldn’t hate her, even though she took me to Eden without my consent.

“It feels a bit warmer now. Don’t you think, Shi Yu?”

“…It does.”

“I hope the dreams buried here have become a bit warmer too.”

It was because of the benevolence she bestowed upon living beings.

The miracle Limen showed didn’t cover the entirety of Ground Zero.

It was only possible thanks to the sacred ground formed through the holy relic.

As Limen herself said last time, it was also proof that she couldn’t be as omnipotent as she was in Eden.

But this is enough.

“Other people will be really happy too.”

A place that had become barren due to mana contamination. A land that hadn’t recovered even after 5 years. The scar of disaster left in the heart of South Korea.

In this place where all that could be done was to block the mana through a barrier, the life that had blossomed like this was already a miracle in itself.

And the range of the sacred ground is a problem that time will solve.

The more our church expands on Earth, the more faith will be contained in the holy relic, and the sacred ground will also expand accordingly.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

“What else?”

“The real gift!”

Paaaat!

Once again, light spread out, and soon a familiar building appeared on the green empty lot that had been located behind the pond.

A structure built with white marble and glass windows.

Yet, it exuded Limen’s unique simplicity and sanctity.

“It’s the small chapel from the Vatican.”

“There seems to be a lack of space to fully recreate the main cathedral. Sorry.”

“No, this is actually better.”

It was a small chapel that could be easily found in the Vatican of Eden.

Small chapels that were built to allow believers visiting the Vatican to offer prayers.

Although smaller than the cathedral, this simplicity may actually be more appealing to the people of South Korea.

And it also suits the image of a newly starting church better.

I had been worrying about how to build the temple, but Limen neatly solved that concern as well.

“How is it? Do you like the gift?”

I nodded at Limen’s question and answered,

“It’s the best.”

Fortunately, I had been worrying about how to build the temple.

As I was looking at the first temple of our Limen Church with satisfaction,

“Shi Yu.”

“Yeah?”

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. There is something you need to do on Earth. I’m sure you’ve already had a vague idea by now.”

And after a while,

Quite a concerning story began to flow from Limen’s mouth.

If I were to summarize what Limen told me in three lines, it would be as follows:

「1. The Demon King of Wrath, whom I killed last, transferred fragments of his soul and the other Demon Kings’ souls to the closest dimension just before his death.

The dimension closest to Eden is Earth.
Therefore, there is a high possibility that fragments of the Demon Kings have been transferred to Earth.」

It was a story that could explain the doppelganger, lich, and even the magic detected in the mana stone mine earlier.

Limen additionally said that the fact that Earth’s system permitted her contract with me is also highly likely to be related to that.

-There’s still a lot I can’t do for you because this isn’t Eden. I think you’ll have to find out the details directly here.

In Eden, Limen was able to wield power close to omnipotence by ascending to the throne of the chief deity, but Earth was not a world she governed.

To put it simply, for the time being, I have to act directly.

If this had happened in Eden, I would have ordered the inquisitors directly under the Vatican to search for traces of demons.

But this place is Earth.

Since we haven’t even trained inquisitors yet, it seems I’ll have to move directly for the time being.

Anyway.

Limen, who had explained it all to me, returned to her original place before long.

Something about exceeding the allowed causality threshold due to bringing life to the ruins and even building a temple on top of it?

Still, fortunately, from now on, we can communicate through the temple.

“Phew.”

I sat on the steps of the temple for a moment and let out a deep breath.

I was really satisfied with Limen’s gift.

Not only did she turn the desolate ruins into a beautiful garden, but she also gave us a temple that was modest yet beautiful enough to match that garden.

She really cared about my current situation, which was evident.

For now, all the urgent goals have been achieved.

We have Leo, who will translate the Bible, and we also have a temple where believers can gather and pray.

With this, we are ready to start the full-fledged operation of the church.

And as if the system agreed with my thoughts, new message windows appeared before my eyes.

[You have completed the main quest .]

[As a completion reward, the level of the church trait increases by 1, and 500 Divinity Points are granted.]

[Congratulations! By securing the first temple, your church has taken one step closer to becoming a religion. From now on, you can manage the facilities of the temple through the command. According to the inter-dimensional agreement, you can now purchase various facilities using .]

[The category is updated in the DLC store!]

If the system in Eden was close to an RPG game, the system on Earth seems to be closer to a business simulation game.

The interfaces filled my vision.

But there’s no need to hurry in checking the new system. There are more pressing matters right now, you know?

I nodded, then took out the cell phone I had prepared before entering this place from my pocket.

Originally, if it were the normal Ground Zero, the use of electronic devices would have been impossible due to the abnormal mana contamination.

Ding-dong-!

The cell phone turned on normally.

It was also proof that the mana contamination had been resolved through the declaration of the sacred ground.

The signal was a bit weak, but it should be fine to this extent.

I immediately called Min-soo through the cell phone.

Beep-beep-.

Before the call connection tone rang a few times, Min-soo answered the phone with a strong voice.

-I answered the phone, Your Holiness! Seeing that you called, it seems everything has been resolved as you wished! Congratulations.

“You flatter me. Brother Min-soo, where are you by any chance?”

-I was on standby with my team members near Gyeongbokgung Palace in case you might call, Your Holiness.

This is why I can’t help but like Min-soo.

I laughed at Min-soo’s energetic answer and continued,

“Things went better than expected. So I wanted to ask for your opinion, Min-soo.”

-Please speak comfortably. I’m all ears.

“Shall we do a live broadcast?”

-A live broadcast, you say? If you want, we can set it up anytime, but where are you thinking of doing it?

To that question, I answered as if it were obvious,

“The first reveal of Ground Zero on YouTube, how about it? Don’t you think it would be good? I think it would be fine.”